Smart city kiosks provide news, maps and emergency information

New ‘smart city’ touch-screen kiosks have been installed in a South Korean city to provide the public with local information.

The kiosks in Daegu, South Korea’s fourth largest city, are part of the city’s disaster management infrastructure, providing vital information in the event of a major emergency such as a fire, flood or earthquake, as well as city news and location guidance.

They were installed by South Korean mobile operator SK Telecom and digital signage provider QVOSS. British company Zytronic, through its South Korean partner, DTH, supplied custom 55″ Zybrid multitouch sensors which are capable of withstanding extreme environmental conditions.

The 10 outdoor kiosks needed to be able to tolerate Daegu’s humid sub-tropical climate, with summer temperatures averaging 40Â°C and rainfall of around 230mm per month in the rainy season.

The project is one of the first commercial roll-outs of the new Zytronic ZXY500 controller, enabling super narrow bezel designs and robust 80-point multitouch performance.

“We were keen to employ Zytronic’s newest controller as the super narrow bezel enables us to make the best use of the total screen area,” explained Johee Jun, general manager of QVOSS.

Ian Crosby, director of sales and marketing at Zytronic, added: “The smart-city kiosks in Daegu are an essential part of the metropolitan infrastructure and are there to provide information and assist citizens and visitors during everyday life. Furthermore, they have a crucial role in an emergency when the quick delivery of public safety announcements can be vital.

“Zytronic touch technology is the ideal solution for these kiosks, as it has been proven globally over two decades to function reliably even in the most demanding unattended and self-service applications and environmental conditions.”